Sunsets and Streams

I promised you I was going to start posting more and I’m trying to make good on that promise.

Several months ago I posted that I was working on an oil painting. I had a photo I had taken from the Stoney Creek Golf Course near where we live. It was of a sunset over Three Ridges, one of my favorite subjects. I had done a watercolor of it, but while I was doing that, I decided it would also be a great oil subject. I must admit I was very rusty, but I had fun. Here are both paintings, with the watercolor first. Neither is my best work but both have some good techniques in them. I posted the reference photo also.

This next painting is one that I undertook to replace a large watercolor print that is in my guestroom that was left by the previous owners. I want to put something of my own there. It requires a large piece so I decided to tackle a picture of a stream 24”x18” format. It will be six to eight inches larger in each direction once matted and framed.

So one thing I haven’t learned is that streams are very hard. I have one successful stream painting that I did in oil, which I love. Others have all had issues in my eyes. This one is the biggest I’ve ever attempted, and I painted these rocks for a very long time. There are some things I like about it, but in general I don’t like it enough to invest in the framing. I really like the trees in the background. I did those first. I think the foliage around the stream should have been loser. The stream in the distance gives the illusion of being at an angle, which I tried to fix, but nothing really worked. It also looks kind of like it’s on a ramp. I might work on it some more. It may be salvageable, but I don’t hold out hope that it will ever be what I want to frame and hang in my guest room. I’m sharing this for critique, so opinions, both positive and negative are welcome.

That’s it for now. I’m experimenting with fluid acrylics and with my first use I really like them. Hopefully I’ll have something to share on that soon.

2 thoughts on “Sunsets and Streams

  1. I get how you feel about this one. Somehow it just isn’t working. And the description that the stream is on a ramp is just right, like it is going uphill. I really admire you for putting out things you just don’t think work for public critiquing. I don’t know that I could do that. Brava to you.

    • Thanks Nancy. I’m happy to confirm that my feeling about the ramp is correct. It’s okay for the water to be running down hill, but the tree’s on the left are downhill from the stream, and gravity wouldn’t allow that to happen… lol. I’m thinking if I build up the ground level on the left a bit it might help. We’ll see. Might take me a while to get inspired to get back to it. And yes, critiques are hard, but serve a useful purpose.

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